To lock down your business for two years, cellular service providers offer free or heavily discounted phones. After the two years are up, you get that opportunity again. But what if you're happy with your current phone and don't want a new one? If you sign another two-year contract, you can ask your provider to apply that subsidy to the cost of service instead of a new phone.

While reading a completely unrelated post about the horrors of eBay and PayPal by developer Vladimir Gurovich, I noticed this small little detail. I did a little research and it turns out you can actually have your subsidy—often around $250—applied to your monthly bill instead. That's a little more than 10% off the cost of service, which may be more valuable than a new phone for some. If you're happy with your phone and your service, call up your provider and ask. Because this isn't often done, you may have to explain the situation a bit, but in the end it'll save you good amount of cash.